The question of what countries trade, and why is a complex and pressing one. This blog characterizes the specific activities involved in exports, providing an understanding that goes beyond…

Hagen Kruse, Marcel Timmer, Xianjia Ye, Gaaitzen de Vries, Deborah Winkler |

Zimbabwe is on a path to strengthening transparency in how it manages public finances and delivers results for citizens

Adrienne Shall, Edwin Farai Vela-Moyo, Stella Ilieva, Marko Kwaramba, Cheryl Khuphe |

East Asia entered the COVID-19 pandemic first and is likely to be the first region to recover. The region can turn this crisis to its long-term advantage by adopting bold and imaginative policies…

Victoria Kwakwa |

Southern African countries had a tough 2019. The Government of Lesotho declared a national disaster as a result of the drought which left a fourth of its population facing severe food insecurity…

Barry Maher, Gracelin Baskaran |

China has recently achieved a remarkable improvement in its business environment as measured by the World Bank’s global Doing Business report. Over the past two years, China moved up by almost 50…

Marcin Piatkowski, Sylvia Solf, Wenting Wei |

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in China in late 2019, has the potential to disrupt the economies of the Middle East and North Africa through four distinct channels: directly through…

Rabah Arezki, Ha Nguyen |

The traditional route of industrialization for developing countries may no longer be available for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This should not be a source of regret, as the…

Ferid Belhaj, Rabah Arezki |

As one of the key foundations for manufacturing, trade and growth, logistics is a strategic component of every economy. The sector can also contribute significantly to job creation. For example,…

Yin Lam |

Photo by World/Bank The purpose of any education system is to equip learners with the ability to live a fulfilling and productive life. Currently, East Asia is home to seven of the top ten…

Raja Bentaouet Kattan, May Bend |

The Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative seeks to deepen regional integration by improving infrastructure and strengthening trade and investment linkages along the old Silk Road, from China to…

Paulo Bastos |